Karnataka elections: Will emotional politics or emotional blackmail work this time?

In Karnataka, electoral battles boil down to either caste or personality conflict.

Can sentiments alone make a political candidate win an election? In Karnataka, such an effort is being made in an assembly constituency that is reserved for the scheduled castes. The entire election campaign has been reduced to contrasting the candidate's personal tragedy with the changes including the development works that have happened in the constituency over the last five years.

In Karnataka, electoral battles boil down to either caste or personality conflict. Or, the anti or pro-incumbency factor may also become a plank to fight. But there is a constituency here where a candidate is seeking votes mainly on emotional grounds because recently, he lost his parents.

The constituency is Nanjungud in Chamarajanagar district. The identity of this taluk is the Srikanteshwara temple, which is revered as the Dakshina Kashi. The sitting MLA is BJP’s B Harshavardhana, an engineering graduate from Bengaluru. He is a first-time MLA. He is the grandson of late minister B Basavalingappa, one of the prominent Dalit leaders of Karnataka who served Congress for decades. The MLA is also the son-in-law of former Union Minister V Srinivas Prasad, BJP MP from Chamarajanagar. He is also a popular Dalit leader who had worked as a minister in Karnataka too.

Harshavardhana, 46, was expecting a tough fight with the Congress planning to field Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Working President, former MLA, and former MP, R Dhruvanarayana, 61. When the Congress expected to announce its candidature, Dhruvanarayan died of cardiac arrest on March 11. Immediately, the Congress announced that his son – Darshan, 27, would be the candidate. Within a month, Darshan’s ailing mother passed away. Politicians, cutting across party affiliations, have sympathised with Darshan because Dhruvanarayan was not only a gentleman politician but also a performer as a public representative. Darshan was a Bengaluru-based advocate before entering the fray. The JD(S) has not fielded its candidate as it did not find a suitable one.

Darshan, with no political achievements to talk about, is seeking votes saying it was unfortunate that his parents died when least expected. And, he would tread his father’s path if elected as MLA. Congress leaders are briskly campaigning for him and trying to encash upon the goodwill Dhruvanarayan had earned. He had not contested from Nanjungud.

Harshavardhan is in a precarious position. He cannot portray the opponent in a poor light because Darshan is testing the waters for the first time. In addition, the opponent is still in a mourning period. So, the MLA is not even acknowledging the presence of Darshan. He is placing his work report before the people. He has come out with a white sheet about the work done and money spent in each gram panchayat. Harshavardhan is saying he has mobilised Rs 823 crore for constituency development since 2018. In a way, he is seeking only positive votes. Both being Dalits, playing the caste card doesn’t help here.

Harshavardhan’s father-in-law Srinivas Prasad was the one who had nurtured Dhruvanarayan. But Prasad is candid enough to criticise seeking votes based on sympathy. The assessment of a candidate should be based on work performance and nothing else, he is saying while campaigning. The highest voting population in the constituency is Lingayats. It is to be seen whether the BJP would be able to consolidate its vote base here or sympathy would help Darshan to make it to Vidhana Soudha.

What have the constituents got to say? They seem to be divided in their loyalty. Guruprasad B, a young voter, says, "We feel sorry for Darshan. But the MLA has implemented the Nugu irrigation project, which had languished for decades. He has put an end to the night soil-carrying system in a village. Can sympathy overweigh development work?"

It is not just in Nanjungud that the emotional placard is being displayed. A similar situation exists in the Bhadravati assembly constituency in Shivamogga district. The JD(S) former MLA MJ Appaji Gowda died of COVID-19 in September 2020. Immediately, the JD(S) announced that it would field Gowda’s wife Sharada as the candidate in 2023. She was the first to get the party ticket seven months in advance of the polls. This is her maiden entry into electoral politics. She is now fighting against the Congress’ sitting MLA, BK Sangameshwar.

Gowda was a very popular leader. If he were to be in the fray, it would probably have been a good fight between the JD(S) and the Congress. Now the sympathy factor has almost disappeared because the death was about two years ago. The public's memory is too short to remember the demised leader. Sharada is just a candidate like any other in the fray.

A couple of days ago, a story about the ill health of the wife of Priyank Kharge, the Congress’ sitting MLA from the Chittapur reserved constituency, appeared. He is a former minister and the son of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge. The media report said the junior Kharge is finding it tough to strike a balance between the family and the elections because his wife recently underwent surgery. Anyone can guess why suddenly a story on the personal problems of the MLA has appeared in the media.

It has not been an easy battle for Priyank this time because the BJP has pitted Manikanth Rathod, 26. Rathod, the firebrand leader, is posing a stiff challenge to the Congress. The personal problems of Priyank are not an issue in the constituency.

Another emotional appeal being made by certain top candidates is that they are facing their final electoral battle and should be given a chance this time. Congress leader Siddaramaiah, and erstwhile BJP leader and present Congress nominee Jagadish Shettar are both exploring the possibility of getting blessed again by playing this retirement card. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken an indirect dig at Siddaramaiah by saying that some want to get elected because he is tired and wants to retire. The sitting MLA from Varuna is Yathindra. This time he has made way for his father to contest from the seat.

On the streets of Varuna, Yathindra is making an emotional appeal to voters: "Allow my father to retire from active politics in a dignified way by making him win his last election."

The politics of emotions used to play a pivotal role in electoral mobilisation for decades. But these days, with the extensive usage of new media tools, voters have also developed independent thinking. Heart, mind, caste, and luring factors such as money, and performance as a public servant are all factors and forces that work differently in different constituencies.